1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a console device of a portable type, a control method and a radiographic imaging system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a console device of a portable type in which suitability for visual recognition of an image and a user menu option is improved, and a control method and a radiographic imaging system.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
In the field of medicine, image diagnosis is performed by acquiring medical images of a patient. To this end, a radiographic imaging system for use with radiation such as X-rays is well-known as a system for acquiring medical images. The radiographic imaging system includes a radiation generator and a radiographic imaging apparatus. The radiation generator generates radiation. The radiographic imaging apparatus forms a radiation image of a body of a patient by detecting the radiation transmitted through the body. The radiation generator includes a radiation source, source driver and radiation switch. The radiation source applies the radiation to the body. The source driver drives and controls the radiation source. The radiation switch is operable to send an input to the source driver for starting the radiation source. The radiographic imaging apparatus includes a radiographic imaging device and a console device, which retrieves (or reads) radiation images recorded by the radiographic imaging device and performs display processing for a display to display the radiation image.
There is a type of radiographic imaging device in which a radiation film or an imaging plate (IP) coated with photostimulable phosphor is used for recording a radiation image. The radiation image on the radiation film or the like is read by a scanner for the radiation film or an IP reading apparatus, and converted into image data. The console device retrieves the converted image data, and displays an image of the image data. Also, a known type of radiographic imaging device is a radiation image detector, which converts radiation into an electric signal to record a radiation image. The radiation image detector includes a sensor panel called a flat panel detector (FPD), which converts the radiation transmitted through a body of the patient into an electric signal, to detect the radiation image. As the radiation image detector can transmit the radiation image to the console device immediately for the console device to display the image. There is an advantage of visually checking the present image immediately after imaging, in comparison with the conventional type of the radiographic imaging device for use with the radiation film or imaging plate.
A widely available form of the console device of the desktop type includes a display panel and a console main unit. The display panel is a display unit for displaying a user menu option or radiation image retrieving menu option for retrieving a radiation image, and the retrieved radiation image. The user menu option displays a body part, imaging direction and the like related to imaging of a radiation image in a form of letters, icons and the like. The console main unit is based on a personal computer, workstation or other electronic terminal equipment, and retrieves a radiation image created by the radiographic imaging device. Also, the console main unit is a display controller or display processor for driving the display panel to display the user menu option and the radiation image together.
JP-A 2009-089723 discloses the radiographic imaging apparatus having a portable console device, which is based on a portable information terminal device such as a smart phone or tablet terminal device. The portable console device has a touchscreen display unit for displaying an image and receiving inputs in response to touch. The touchscreen display unit displays the user menu option and the radiation image in the same manner as the console device of the desktop type. The portable console device has a smaller size and smaller weight than the desktop type, and is operable in a manually held state in a hand of an operator. The portable console device is useful in various fields of health care in which an operator must work in an erect posture, for example, in a veterinary clinic, or for emergency medicine in which rapidity is essential.
In a veterinary clinic, a portable console device may be used in a placed state at a location distant from a veterinarian, for example, may be leaned on a special stand, or supported on a wall of a support plate. This is because the portable console device may be broken by abrupt motion of an animal with an animal body to be imaged for a radiation image, or may be made dirty by body fluid from the animal. It is possible in the veterinary clinic to create a plurality of the radiation image by manually holding the animal in predetermined positions, or by suitably changing a position of the animal for consecutive imaging. The portable console device is used in the placed state on a stationary support similarly.
Although the portable console device is useful in the human medicine, typically for emergency medicine or in-patient care in a hospital, it is necessary for medical staff manually to support a body of a bedridden patient assuming that he or she cannot stand alone. For this purpose, the portable console device is used also in the placed state on a stationary support.
It is preferable to display the radiation image in a large size on a touchscreen display unit, for example, in a full-screen size, for enabling viewing the radiation image even from a distant location because of the use of the portable console device at the distant location from the veterinarian or operator. The radiation image must be displayed for checking typically in consecutive imaging for plural images, because positioning or the like is checked after each event of imaging before creating another image.
It is conceivable to view to the radiation image from a distant location for the purpose of consecutive imaging of the animal by changing a position of the animal according to a user menu option or radiation image retrieving menu option. However, a size of the touchscreen display unit of the portable console device is smaller than that for a console device of a desktop type. Assuming that all registered user menu options are displayed on the touchscreen display unit together with the radiation image, display sizes of the radiation image and the user menu options must be set small. Suitability for visual recognition of the radiation image and the user menu options becomes considerably low.
In JP-A 2009-089723, there is no suggestion of suitably keeping visual recognition of the user menu option for the radiation image on the display of the portable console device.